Death With Dignity in Utah

In 2018, Utah considered but rejected a death with dignity law.

Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of states considering death with dignity laws. Sometimes called “assisted suicide” or “right to die” initiatives, these laws make it possible for terminally ill patients to use prescribed medication to end their lives peacefully rather than suffering a painful and protracted death.

The catalyst for greater national attention to this issue was 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, a woman diagnosed with terminal brain cancer who moved from California to Oregon to end her life in 2014. Maynard chose Oregon because California had not yet passed its aid-in-dying law, and Oregon was one of just a few states that allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives.

Utah’s 2018 End of Life Options Act

In January 2018, the Utah legislature considered a death with dignity bill, HB210, called the Utah End of Life Options Act. Although a poll conducted in 2015 showed that 58% of Utah voters support death with dignity, legislators on the House Health and Human Services Committee voted to table the bill, effectively killing it for the 2018 legislative session.

Utah's Ban on Assisted Suicide

Also during the 2018 legislative session, the Utah legislature passed a law amending the state's manslaughter statute, making it a crime to assist another person in committing suicide. (See Utah HB86.)

Advocating for a Death With Dignity Act in Utah

Citizen groups are continuing to work to legalize aid in dying in Utah. If choice at the end of life is important to you, here are some things you can do:

Search for -- or start -- a community advocacy group. The Compassion & Choices website can help you connect with others in your area.

Making a Living Will or an Advance Directive

“Death with dignity” is one of the most commonly accepted phrases describing the process by which a terminally ill person ingests prescribed medication to hasten death. You may also see the phrase “right to die” used in place of “death with dignity.” However, “right to die” is more accurately used in the context of directing one’s own medical care -- that is, refusing life-sustaining treatment such as a respirator or feeding tubes when permanently unconscious or close to death. In any state, you have a right to provide such directions or give any other health care instructions by completing an advance health care directive.